hello robin marian fans...heres another chapter for all of you who wondered when i would update...hopefully you all will like it might be a bit angsty

but i think its pretty good what do you think?? read and review your thoughts make my day

Chapter ten: Plots and Unwilling Players

She knew they were coming even before she heard their footsteps. Guy's footsteps were loud and kept to a specific rhythm. The sheriff's footsteps were deliberately soft and completely out of order.

So when the two captors arrived at her prison cell Marian had no need to look up at their faces. But then she heard the slam of the cell and knew that they were inches from her face so she slowly raised her head up to stare at them.

The sheriff was wearing a grin on his face. It was like Christmas day for him. Not only was that infernal night watchman safely behind bars, but Marian was also behind bars. Vasey had hated Marian ever since he first became sheriff. It was a pity that for years he couldn't lock her up, now he had the perfect excuse.

Guy had a grin plastered on his face as well. But it was covering up a sadness that he wished none to see. Last night he had paced up and down in his quarters trying to figure out what to do. His hand clasped onto Robin's ring tightly. He wished to drive his sword through the ring, but he didn't. And Guy really wanted to because he felt like Robin was there, in the ring, laughing at him for being so stupid to believe Marian loved him.

At that time he hadn't yet told the sheriff of Marian's capture. He had also been debating whether or not he should tell the sheriff. Every time he just thought about it, he came to the conclusion to release her without telling the sheriff. But then when he would look at the ring again, he'd remember why he had to tell the sheriff.

So in the middle of the night the sheriff had heard a knock on his door. He had been sleeping rather soundly when a huge fist slammed itself against his wooden door. The sheriff bolted out of bed. "This had better be good."

"It is," called Guy on the other side of the door.

"Oh," groaned the sheriff, "it's just you Gisborne. Might as well come in."

He had opened the door to let Guy inside. Guy walked in.

"Anyway that this could wait until I could out the window?" mumbled the sheriff angrily.

"I've captured the night watchman." It had come on it a quick confession. Guy just had to get it off his chest. The sheriff was no longer angry he was delighted.

"You actually did something right Gisborne."

"But there's a bit more," said Guy covering his eyes.

"Just spit it out."

"Marian is also in the prison dungeons."

"Great," the sheriff clasped his hands. "What's the annoying bitch done now?"

"She is the night watchman," explained Guy.

The sheriff's mouth dropped open. His eyes went wide. "You're telling me that a girl has been stealing from me for years and you couldn't catch her? You're telling me that we had this night watchman inside the castle the entire time and had no idea? A woman, Gisborne, has been stealing from us, killing our men, and we had no bloody idea of it?"

Guy nodded.

The sheriff smiled. "What have you said to her so far?"
"I lied and told her that her father was dead. I just wanted to try to crack her psychologically."

Vasey rolled his eyes and sat down on his bed. "Do you realize we could do so much with her? This is fantastic. This is the best news I've heard in a while."

Guy stared at him. "You serious?"

"Would I kid you about this kind of situation?" asked the sheriff.

"I don't…no I guess not," sighed Guy.

The sheriff smiled. "Let's start thinking."

And they had spent the rest of the night and some of the early morning talking about what to do with Marian. Now they were looking down at Marian both with grins on their face, only one smile was real.

The sheriff bent down to look at Marian. He tried to stroke Marian's cheek but she backed away from him. The sheriff tisked. "I would not do that if I were you woman. Do you realize that we could kill you right now, and never have to think twice?"

"Then why don't you?" she asked angrily from the corner of the cell.

The sheriff walked lazily over to her and bent down again. This time he played with her brown hair. "We cannot kill you, because we have to use you for our own purposes."

"I'm not going along with your plans."

The sheriff slapped her face and Marian gasped.

"You will do as we say or we will start the torture and I can promise you, this is torture like you have never experienced before." He turned to Sir Guy. "Right Gizzy?"

Guy nodded and while his head moved up and down he thought of all the people who he had tortured in the manner Vasey was describing. Then he could see the blood again as he heard their voices screaming out to him for mercy. He never thought he would have to do that to Marian.

Marian looked from the sheriff to Guy. She did not want to comply with their desires but she did not want to experience torture. So she looked at the sheriff. "What do you want me to do?"

"First I want to know something for mere personal reasons," said the sheriff. "Are you with Robin Hood?"

She smiled slyly. "At the moment no."

The sheriff slapped her cheek again. He punched her stomach. He grabbed her arms and backed them up against the prison wall behind her. "You will no longer feel these two arms when we're done with you. You will not be able to see my face staring at you. Your ears will bleed from our harsh and shrill laughter. You will have no more voice afterwards from all the cries of pain and pleas.

Now, I will not do any of this now. I'm a man of my word. This question is purely for personal interest in the matter. Now I'll ask it again, and I expect and answer. Do you love Robin Hood? And when I say love, I do not mean admiration, I do not mean adoration, I mean, are you in love with him?"

Marian looked into the sheriff's eyes. There was no remorse behind those black eyes. She nodded.

Guy closed his eyes and leaned against the bars of the cell. On the outside he was calm and cool. On the inside he was slowly dying.

The sheriff smiled and revealed his fake tooth. "Well now that we know this, here's our plan of operation. You tell us all you know about Hood. Tell us how he attacks, where he is, and anything else about him. If you do tell us, well, we don't hurt you that day. If you don't tell us, then we torture you and everyone cracks under torture. And here's the best part, if you don't tell us, we'll say that you're dead and then Robin won't have any reason to save you."

"No," moaned Marian. "I'm never telling you anything about Robin."

The sheriff looked over at Guy. "Would you like to do the honors?"

Guy slowly walked over to Marian. He could not bear watching her crouched in the corner of a jail cell. There was a scar across her cheek where he had hit her yesterday. And as he bent down to look at her she cringed but she narrowed her eyes at his eyes.

She seemed to scream with her eyes. You are so much more than this, Guy. I know you know that. You are such a better man than this.

But maybe Marian was wrong.

Maybe Guy was just completely evil. There was no redeemable quality in his soul. Hell, he didn't even have a soul. There was an empty part where his soul should have been.

He slowly took Marian's left arm and twisted it until he heard it break. The girl tried to hold in her pain but she screamed so loudly that it pierced Guy's eyes and made the sheriff laugh.

Tears streamed down Marian's face. She tried to clutch at her arm but Guy still held it. And in Marian's tears he saw the tears and faces of thousands of men women and children he had tortured and killed. How could he have done this to her? He loved her. Yes, it was true he did love her still.

And as the screams echoed the prison cell Guy watched as a future he could never have floated in his mind.

He saw a similar scene in his mind as the one he was living now. Marian still screamed and cried, he still held her hand. But then Guy was holding a tiny bundle in his arms. He stared down into the face of a son he would never have, with a woman who would never love him.

"That's enough for now Guy," said the sheriff. He stood up and Guy stood up with him letting go of Marian's arm. She cried as he let go and clutched at her arm. The two men left the dungeons. The sheriff was so happy he could sing. They would keep coming down to Marian and torture her until she cracked at last. He was sure she would, after all she was only a woman.

And Guy?

Well he walked quietly for a man without a soul. He hung his head for a man without a heart. Maybe he did not wear a heart on his black sleeves; maybe he had no visible soul.

But maybe Marian had been right.

There could be something, very deep down, that cried out for the love that Guy never had. And as tears swelled in his eyes for the son and wife he would never have, he wanted to make sure that no other man in the world would experience that joy Guy never had the chance of getting.

Oh my gosh...what is he going to do with himself? the man with no fear plainly has fear...hes in love and wants a kid...but what will happen to the reality of the situation?? robin still knows nothing...marian thinks her dad is dead...but hes running to robin...guy is an angst...the sheriff is doing a happy dance?? will nothing make sense agian?? tell me what you think and keep reading...bye